Appleton/News Caroline Kennedy speaks at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver.
Arbogast/AP
[Barack Obama with Caroline Kennedy earlier this year.]
Caroline Kennedy has her eyes on the prize - the U.S. Senate seat Hillary Clinton will leave when she becomes secretary of state.
Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, has called Gov. Paterson to discuss the two-year appointment and is "seriously considering" the job, her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told the Daily News.
RFK Jr., whose father once held that Senate seat, said Caroline Kennedy and Paterson have spoken several times. He said the whole Kennedy clan would support her if she takes the seat and then runs for election in 2010.
"If she ran [in 2010], you would see the whole state flooded with Kennedys campaigning for her," RFK Jr. said. "There would be Kennedys no one even heard of. Our whole family would be delighted."
The Associated Press quoted two sources as saying Caroline Kennedy and the governor are expected to meet privately to discuss the matter today, when Paterson travels to Washington for a dinner.
RFK Jr. said that although his 51-year-old cousin has shied away from politics, she's more open to the idea now because her kids are grown.
Paterson told New York 1 Friday night he "took a call" from Caroline Kennedy on Wednesday. He refused to detail the conversation, though he said, "We talked about a number of things, and the seat did come up in the conversation."
Paterson spokesman Errol Cockfield said the governor is seeking counsel from various people and "will move quickly to fill [the] Senate seat once the position becomes officially vacant."
Clinton has said she won't resign until after she is confirmed. Cockfield denied Paterson and Caroline Kennedy had plans to meet today.
A senior Democrat said a Kennedy in that seat is Sen. Chuck Schumer's "nightmare" because he again would be overshadowed by a junior colleague. "He would hate that."
On the other hand, President-elect Barack Obama, who won the endorsement of much of the Kennedy clan, including Caroline Kennedy, is clearly a fan. She campaigned for Obama, worked on the vice presidential search committee and spoke at the convention.
Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said the President-elect "has a very high regard for Caroline Kennedy. He has not spoken with Gov. Paterson or Caroline Kennedy about the race."
Caroline Kennedy, who could not be reached for comment Friday night, would be an immediate front-runner, Democrats said. She is the cousin of the ex-wife of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is also considered a possibility for the Senate seat.
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